The 2012 Frozen Four semifinals will take place on Thursday night. While both games are important in determining the best college hockey team in the country, the second game in the doubleheader is much more important when it comes to those visiting SB Nation Minnesota.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers advanced to the semifinals with a win last weekend, but their road to the championship gets much more difficult on Thursday night with a game against the Boston College Golden Eagles. Our own Nathan Wells wrote an excellent preview at SB Nation headquarters detailing the matchup:
In the end, something has to give. Whether the two high-scoring offenses cancel each other out or this Frozen Four semifinal becomes a shootout, both Boston College and Minnesota are very similar -- talented all over the ice with balanced offensive depth.
The Eagles have consistent play on their side, while the key for the Gophers will be getting on the board first, as they're 22-7-0 when doing so. They can't let Boston College control the game offensively like they did against Minnesota Duluth in the Regional Final. If they can handle the BC attack, this will be a game worthy of a Frozen Four semifinal.
At the very least, my money's on the Maroon and Gold team.
It'll be interesting to see if the winning team wearing maroon and gold team has an 'M' on their chest.
For more on the Frozen Four, stick with our 2012 NCAA Hockey Tournament StoryStream. You can also follow Western College Hockey and SB Nation's NHL hub for more NCAA Hockey news.